M.I.A. Parts Ways with Jay Z’s Roc Nation

M.I.A. has announced that she is officially leaving Jay Z’s management company Roc Nation. “2013 i dlted old tweet to bring u this. im leaving @RocNation . Thank to everyone who supported the M.I.A #MATANGI LP. HAPPY NEW YEAR | 2014,” the singer tweeted on New Year’s Eve.

M.I.A. has seen her relationship with both her label and management deteriorate over the last year. During the summer, Roc Nation made the decision to pull a leaked trailer for M.I.A.’s upcoming documentary. The decision ultimately led director Steve Loveridge to quit the project, leaving the documentary in production limbo.

The singer was also forced to continuously delay her new album Matangi after disagreements with Interscope about the content of the record. According to M.I.A., the label was concerned that her album was “too positive” and urged her to “…darken it up a bit.” M.I.A. simply threatened to leak the album herself if Interscope continued to delay, and Matangi was released November 5, 2013.

M.I.A. also tweeted a statement the following day, seeking the help of “young people” for future projects, implying that the singer is saying goodbye to the corporate game in favor of a more DIY approach. “MIA 4 the people by the people, looking for young people to work in fields of ART production / MUSIC /MERCH / FILM / WEB / MARKETING SndCV.” Without M.I.A., Roc Nation still serves as a managerial home to artists and producers like Haim, Wale, Timbaland and most recently, Canadian electro-pop sensation Grimes.